Category Archives: social equity

A BOLD transit-oriented development plan

Posted on January 17, 2020 by

There are transit-oriented developments and then there are BOLD transit-oriented developments. Here is Traverse City, we are fortunate to have a transit agency with a bold vision for a better tomorrow – the Bay Area Transportation Authority or BATA. Being … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, Advocacy, Alternative transportation, Bus transportation, cities, climate change, economic development, environment, government, health, Housing, infrastructure, land use, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, social equity, spatial design, sustainability, transit, transportation, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Simple New Year’s resolutions to help our planet

Posted on December 30, 2019 by

Providing a quick list of simple solutions to help save our planet seems like an appropriate blogpost topic for the New Year, as we can all add some/all of these to our list of resolutions. Please feel free to pass … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, air travel, bicycling, bike sharing, Biking, Bus transportation, civics, climate change, consumerism, ecosystems, electric vehicles, environment, fair trade, Food, food systems, health, humanity, minimalism, nature, Passenger rail, politics, pollution, product design, recycling, Renewable Energy, Science, shopping, social equity, sustainability, tourism, Trade, transportation, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Chronology & Geography of Civil Rights Wade-in Protests

Posted on November 18, 2019 by

Though not as well known or as common as the lunch counter sit-ins that protested segregated dining, beach wade-ins were another peaceful tactic used to demonstrate the rampant amount of bigotry and racism that existing during the Jim Crow era … Continue reading →

Posted in cities, civics, Civil Rights, civility, geography, historic preservation, history, human rights, humanity, inclusiveness, injustice, racism, social equity, tourism, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Chronology & Geography of Civil Rights Lunch Counter Sit-ins

Posted on November 12, 2019 by

Below is a chronological and geographical list of the start date(s) of known lunch counter sit-ins that took place to protest Jim Crow-style segregated seating and dining accommodations for African-Americans. While segregated lunch counter were most common in the South, … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, business, cities, civics, Civil Rights, civility, colleges, culture, downtown, economics, education, Food, geography, historic preservation, history, human rights, humanity, inclusiveness, Maps, politics, racism, social equity, Statistics, third places | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Problems with Charter Townships

Posted on October 17, 2019 by

If you are not from Michigan you may have never heard of the term “charter township.” They are different from standard “general law” townships, in that: “Charter township status is a special township classification created by the Michigan Legislature in … Continue reading →

Posted in cities, civics, commerce, demographics, diversity, economic development, geography, government, history, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, planning, racism, social equity, spatial design, sprawl, States, Statistics, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ten Planning Lessons from Orlando/Winter Park

Posted on September 3, 2019 by

In terms of diversity and inclusiveness, the Orlando region of today is much improved compared to the Orlando of 50 years ago. Unlike much of the Orlando area, Winter Park has successfully maintained/employed new urbanism, walkability, and traffic calming techniques … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, air travel, airport planning, airports, Alternative transportation, architecture, art, Cars, cities, civics, Civil Rights, civility, commerce, culture, downtown, economic development, entertainment, geography, government, historic preservation, history, human rights, inclusiveness, land use, Maps, new urbanism, pictures, placemaking, planning, skylines, social equity, spatial design, sprawl, third places, tourism, traffic, transportation, Travel, urban planning, walking, weather | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ten Planning Lessons from Traverse City

Posted on August 25, 2019 by

Now that we have lived in Traverse City for almost four years, it is time to list the ten top planning lessons learned from our hometown. Sometimes, evaluation of the places closest to you are the toughest. Smaller cities and … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, Advocacy, air travel, branding, cities, civics, civility, commerce, Communications, culture, demographics, diversity, downtown, economic development, education, entertainment, environment, family, gay rights, geography, government, health, historic preservation, history, homelessness, Housing, human rights, humanity, immigration, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, placemaking, planning, politics, poverty, racism, Sexism, social equity, spatial design, sustainability, third places, tourism, transportation, Travel, urban planning, volunteerism, Welcome | 6 Comments

Geography of the Jazz Age in North America

Posted on August 5, 2019 by

The Jazz Age represented the musical form’s peak period of popularity between 1920 and 1960. While New Orleans, Kansas City, Chicago, and New York were and remain the preeminent epicenters of jazz, in many other cities across the country, vibrant … Continue reading →

Posted in art, cities, Communications, culture, diversity, economic development, entertainment, gentrification, geography, government, historic preservation, history, inclusiveness, land use, Maps, music, music reviews, North America, placemaking, planning, politics, racism, Radio, social equity, songs, theaters, third places, tourism, transportation, Travel, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pendulum Urban Planning – The Wild Ride Between Pro and Anti-development

Posted on March 2, 2019 by

As with nearly every other topic these days, there are strongly held viewpoints in planning circles over development. It seems like either you must be pro-development in all cases, or anti-development in all cases, with no room for middle ground. … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, cities, civics, civility, Communications, culture, diversity, education, gentrification, history, land use, planning, social equity, spatial design, sprawl, urban planning | Leave a comment

Ten Planning Lessons from Detroit’s Eastern Market

Posted on November 8, 2018 by

Anyone fortunate enough to visit engaging Detroit’s Eastern Market knows exactly what I am talking about in this post. Enjoy the list below! Great third places like Detroit’s Eastern Market can and will survive and thrive through both good and … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, agriculture, business, cities, commerce, consumerism, culture, economic gardening, economics, entertainment, entrepreneurship, Food, food systems, fun, geography, health, history, infrastructure, land use, placemaking, planning, revitalization, shopping, Small business, social equity, spatial design, sustainability, third places, tourism, Travel, urban planning, walking | Tagged , , | Leave a comment